SeaWASP: A Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull Autonomous Platform for Shallow Water Mapping Sept.

22, 2008

SeaWASP:
A Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull Autonomous Platform for Shallow Water Mapping

Erin Beck, William Kirkwood, David Caress

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA

Todd Berk, Paul Mahacek, Kevin Brashem, Jose Acain, Vivek Reddy, Dr. Christopher Kitts
Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA

John Skutnik, Dr. Geoff Wheat

University of Alaska - Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AL
ABSTRACT: Students with Santa Clara University (SCU) and
the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) are devel-
oping an innovative platform for shallow water bathymetry. Ba-
thymetry data is used to analyze the geography, ecosystem, and
health of marine habitats. However, current methods for shallow
water measurements typically involve large, manned vessels. These
vessels may pose a danger to themselves and the environment in
shallow, semi-navigable waters. Small vessels, however, are prone to
disturbance by the waves, tides, and currents of shallow water. The
SCU / MBARI autonomous surface vessel (ASV) is designed to
operate safely, stably in waters > 1 m and without significant
manned support. Final deployment will be at NOAA’s Kasitsna Bay
Laboratory in Alaska.
The ASV utilizes several key design components to provide stabil-
ity, shallow draft, and long-duration unmanned operations. Ba-
thymetry is measured with a multibeam sonar in concert with DVL
and GPS sensors. Pitch, roll, and heave are minimized by a Small
Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) design. The SWATH has a
submerged hull, small water-plane area, and high mass to damping
ratio, making it less prone to disturbance and ideal for accurate data
collection. Precision sensing and actuation is controlled by on-
board autonomous algorithms. Autonomous navigation increases
the quality of the data collection and reduces the necessity for con-
tinuous manning.
The vessel has been operated successfully in several open water
test environments, including Elkhorn Slough, CA, Steven’s Creek,
CA, and Lake Tahoe, NV. It is currently is in the final stages of
integration and test for its first major science mission at Orcas Is-
land, San Juan Islands, WA, in August, 2008. The Orcas Island
deployment will feature design upgrades implemented in Summer,
2008, including additional batteries for all-day power (minimum
eight hours), active ballast, real-time data monitoring, updated
autonomous control electronics and software, and data editing using
in-house bathymetry mapping software, MB-System.
This paper will present the results of the Orcas Island mission
and evaluate possible design changes for Alaska. Also, we will in-
clude a discussion of our shallow water bathymetry design consid-
erations and a technical overview of the subsystems and previous
test results.
The ASV has been developed in partnership with Santa Clara
University, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, the
University of Alaska Fairbanks, and NOAA’s West Coat and Polar
Regions Undersea Research Center.
Introduction
Students with Santa Clara University (SCU) and the
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
are developing an innovative platform for shallow water
bathymetry and multi-platform engineering studies. The
Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) autono-
mous surface vehicle (ASV) for multibeam sonar, Sea-
WASP, features stability in shallow water conditions,
reduced draft, minimal manned support, and extendibil-
ity for future missions.
Bathymetric data is used to analyze and monitor ge-
ography and ecosystems, establish baselines, and per-
form repeat surveys for a variety of science and societal
needs such as health of marine habitats. Shallow water
regions like coasts, bays, and estuaries provide numer-
ous and diverse resources to human populations. Map-
ping of these areas provides the information necessary
to use those resources effectively and to manage sus-
tainability. Also, mapping provides a greater under-
standing of geological and ecological change due to
global conditions and human involvement.
Current methods for shallow water mapping often
involve small manned vessels with over-board or towed
systems. The draft of these vessels pose a danger to
themselves and the environment in shallow, semi-
navigable waters, limiting the minimum depth of their
measurements. Also small vessels are more prone to
disturbance by the waves due to the turbid shallow wa-
ters and a large waterplane area. The resulting pitch and
roll deviations in the multibeam sonar data complicate
reconstructing grid and projection visualizations. Sea-
WASP uses a light weight SWATH boat design to ac-
complish stability in waves up to 1 m and operations in
shallow draft areas less than 0.5 m.
SeaWASP is a student program; students are directly
responsible for design, manufacture, integration and
test, operations, data analysis, and task management.
SWATH Boat Architecture
The two hulls are fully submerged and connected with
vertical struts to an above-water platform, seen in Fig. 1.
The boat has a high mass to damping ratio, making it
less prone to disturbance and ideal for accurate data
collection.

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SeaWASP: A Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull Autonomous Platform for Shallow Water Mapping
Fig. 1: Mono-hull vs. SWATH [1]
Fig. 2: CAD model of SeaWASP (above); SeaWASP in
test tank at MBARI (below)
The primary purpose of the SWATH boat is to support
the science mission, shallow water mapping. The boat
must be stable in seas up to 1 m, powered for a full day
(8 hrs), autonomously controlled, and operable in polar
and temperate climates ranging from -10˚ to 60˚ C.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute • Santa Clara University
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Sept. 22, 2008
The SWATH boat subsystems are modular and ex-
tendable to maximize flexibility. This architecture per-
mits future planning without disrupting mission-critical
development. For example, the autonomous control
electronics package can be removed, tested, or replaced
independently and without affecting the rest of the sys-
tem, allowing for responsive integration and upgrades.
We frequently operate with two different quickly-
swappable control packages for varied test scenarios
within one deployment. Also, the boat structure is de-
signed positively buoyant with real-time-adaptable, low-
volume lead weights for trim - rather than negatively
buoyant with limited positive trim - such that compo-
nents can be added without sinking the boat.
In addition to supporting shallow water bathymetry,
the SWATH boat has the potential to be a highly valu-
able generalized support bus or autonomy test platform.
By maximizing the future uses of the boat, we increase
its interest to MBARI - as a member of the research
fleet - and to SCU - as a flagship of multi-system opera-
tions.
Subsystems include structure, power, propulsion and
sensing, and autonomous control.
Structure
The SWATH boat structure consists of two fiberglass
hollow hulls joined with vertical struts to an aluminum
honeycomb platform, as seen in Fig. 2. When deployed,
the twin hulls are completely submerged and the plat-
form remains above water.
The hulls contain components that must be sub-
merged (science instruments and motors) and heavy
components in order to lower the center of mass (batter-
ies in water-tight containers). The hulls also contain
closed-cell foam for overall positive buoyancy and in-
water adjustable lead weight pouches for negative trim.
Components that are water-sensitive and ones needing
to be accessed from the shore are attached to the plat-
form in water-tight boxes: power distribution and
autonomous control electronics, communications, and
on-board data storage.
Power
The boat is equipped with a 12 V and 24 V power bus
supplied by six 12 V 84 A-hr Sun Xtender PVX-840T
sealed lead-acid batteries. At full duty cycle and 60%
depth of discharge, the motors will last 8.4 hours and
the instruments and electronics will last 10.2 hours; this
satisfies the mission requirement of 8.0 hours.
Each battery is housed in a 3/8” ABS plastic water-
tight box with 3/8” polycarbonate lid, 1/8” latex rubber
SeaWASP: A Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull Autonomous Platform for Shallow Water Mapping
Fig. 3: Batteries installed in hulls watertight boxes
gasket, and 1/4” bolt closure, as seen installed in the
twin hulls in Fig. 3. All boxes are verified non-leaking
at 1 m up to 72 hours in accordance with IP-68.
Sensing and Propulsion
The boat is propelled by two Minn Kota RT55
brushed DC electric trolling motors, modified to be
mounted at the back of each hull. The motors are acti-
vated by a RoboteQ AX3500 controller board, which
accepts inputs from the autonomous controller.
Sensors include a Garmin 18 GPS unit and compass.
We also have a Teledyne RDI© 600 kHz Workhorse™
Doppler Velocimeter Log (DVL). For pitch and roll we
are currently using a Sonardyne© Radian™ attitude
heading and reference unit (AHRS), pictured in Fig. 4.
Fig. 4: Sonardyne Radian AHRS Unit
Taken together with the right filtering we are able to
recreate multibeam maps with decent accuracy and
place them in a global framework. Heave sensing is still
not well handled to complete a sensor suite for full func-
tionality and testing. However we have recently ac-
quired, in the same manner as all the instrumentation –
donations – a Crossbow AHRS that may offer us better
heave sensing. This unit is yet to be integrated but will
be as part of the next phase. The Radian and the Cross-
bow will be compared and filtered to calibrate perform-
ance and suitability for the purpose of mapping. Cur-
rently the SCU team doesn’t have the funds for a better
unit but we are searching for a vertical reference unit
(VRU) specifically built for this purpose to eventually
become the core sensor.
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Sept. 22, 2008
Investigations into possibly better instruments such as
a fiber optic gyro (FOG) or ring laser gyro (RLG) are
also going on simultaneously with modeling and associ-
ated efforts to follow. The belief being SCU will either
get funding to afford a unit, costs will drop potentially
to be more affordable, or like other instrumentation we
can inherit an older unit from a research institute. This
model has proven to be true to date, but until an inertial
navigation system can be installed the SeaWASP will
suffer some errors in map placement and quality.
Autonomous Control
Autonomous control is necessary to reduce manned
support obligations, collect data over large regions, and,
most importantly, take measurements in a precise and
easily post-processed pattern. Control electronics and
software were developed by Santa Clara University stu-
dents.
SeaWASP uses a trajectory controller, which defines a
pattern of straight lines between a list of desired way-
points. Straight, parallel lines in a mow-the-lawn pat-
tern with two or three cross-tracking lines most simplify
post-processing. The boat is allowed a certain amount
of time to travel between two waypoints. The boat’s X-
Y location (with inputs from the GPS and compass) is
measured against a linear interpolation between the
waypoints. The controller then minimizes the cross-
track and in-track errors, shown graphically in Fig. 5.
The cross-track error is the perpendicular distance from
the boat to the desired track, or the distance off track.
The in-track error is the distance from this cross-track
intersection point to the desired point along the trajec-
tory, or the distance ahead or behind.
SeaWASP uses proportional linear controllers to cor-
rect heading and velocity and minimize tracking errors;
the algorithm scheme is shown in Fig. 6. For in-track
error, the error is multiplied by a gain and added to the
velocity, such that the boat speeds up when behind and
slows down when ahead. Cross-track errors are handled
similarly. The error is multipled by a gain and added to
Fig. 5: Trajectory Control Concept Diagram, in which the
boat travels a straight line between two points.
SeaWASP: A Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull Autonomous Platform for Shallow Water Mapping
the heading, so the boat assumes an intersecting path to
the trajectory rather than a parallel or divergent path.
The trajectory controller is simulated in Simulink; the
results of one simulation are shown in Fig. 7.
Fig. 6: Implemented control system
Fig. 7: Simulink simulation of the trajectory controller.
The red line is the desired trajectory along five waypoints,
the green line is actual path taken.
Fig. 8: Waypoint and track line in Google Earth
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Sept. 22, 2008
Science Architecture
Autonomous navigation increases the quality of the
data collection and reduces the necessity for continuous
manning. Looking at the track lines in Fig. 9 it can be
seen that even experienced pilots cannot maintain ideal
lines maximizing data quality, resulting in extra work
for the data team on shore.
The science instruments must produce shallow water
bathymetric maps with < 0.5 m vertical resolution.
Autonomy, and the resultant straight-line path shown in
Fig. 10, increases resolution and accuracy in all 3 physi-
cal dimensions. Accuracy is directly related to the con-
trol system and behavior of the vehicle in autonomous
modes of operation.
Fig 9: Multibeam mapping accomplished by human
pilot using the ROV Ventana.
Fig. 10: Typical flight lines of an autonomously controlled
vehicle performing multibeam mapping.
SeaWASP: A Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull Autonomous Platform for Shallow Water Mapping Sept. 22, 2008

To accomplish this, data is collected with a multibeam

sonar and several support instruments and post-
processed using in-house MBARI mapping software,
MB-System. Data is stored onboard to minimize de-
pendence on a strong radio downlink. It may be viewed
in real time at the support station via a local area wire-
less network. All components are powered on the
SWATH boat bus.

Instruments
The primary science instrument is an Imagenex
Model 837 DeltaT-Head Multibeam Sonar, pictured in
Fig. 11 [2]. The DeltaT-Head is readily available to
most oceanographic laboratories at relatively low cost. Fig 11: Imagenex Delta T Head Profiling Multibeam
In shallow water applications, the resolution is accept- FREQUENCY 260 kHz
able for high quality mapping.
TRANSDUCER BEAM (nominal)
WIDTH Receive: 120o x 3o
The multibeam is used in concert with a Teledyne Transmit: 120o x 3o
Workhorse Navigator Doppler Velocity Logger (DVL), EFFECTIVE BEAM WIDTH 3o, 1.5o, 0.75o
Crossbow CXL02LF3 Attitude and Heading Reference
BEAM RESOLUTION 120, 240, 480
System (AHRS), and Garmin 18 GPS unit. These in-
struments provide calibration support for the sonar data: RANGE RESOLUTION 0.2 % of range
pitch and roll, heave, and position plotting, respectively. MIN. DETECTABLE RANGE 0.5 m
MAX. OPERATING DEPTH 300 m
MB-System FRAME RATE Up to 20 fps
In order to be maximally compatible with other WEIGHT: In Air 2.49 kg (5.5 lbs)
MBARI projects, SeaWASP utilizes the MBARI- WEIGHT: In Water 0.7 kg (1.5 lbs)
developed multibeam mapping software suite, MB-
System, shown in Fig. 12. MB-System is an open Table 1: Delta T Head Hardware Specifications
source package that enables interactive mission plan-
ning, data editing, and two- and three-dimensional visu-
alization of numerous multibeam data formats. The
newest beta release, version 5.1.1beta21 on July 20,
2008, incorporates reading and writing of DeltaT-Head
data. Because DeltaT-Head data formerly ran natively
on only one software program (CARIS), this open
source addition to MB-System is a significant increase
in usability of the Imagenex instrument for other cost-
constrained programs.

Support Components
Data is transferred via serial or ethernet protocol to an
onboard Dell Latitude ATG D630 laptop. The onboard
laptop is connected through Remote Desktop to an iden-
tical laptop at the support station via a D-Link 2.4 GHz
WBR-2310 Ricochet modem on the SWATH boat.
Fig. 12: Typical screen for error correlation correction of
Results navigation in MB-System.

SeaWASP’s success is measured in three deployment
phases: Local Proof of Concept, Off-Site Proof of Con-
cept, and Science Operations. In each phase SeaWASP
must demonstrate both engineering support and science
capabilities. To date, we have achieved significant suc-
cess in both Proof of Concept phases and are preparing
for the final Science Operations deployments.
In Local Proof of Concept, SeaWASP is deployed in a
controlled environment close to shore, like a harbor, and
close to both basic ground support and extended lab
support. The boat is run as it would be in a full de-
ployment, but in an extremely sheltered environment
near all possible troubleshooting assets. SeaWASP
demonstrated full system operations in Moss Landing
Harbor between Summer 2007 and Summer 2008. Data

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SeaWASP: A Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull Autonomous Platform for Shallow Water Mapping Sept. 22, 2008

Fig. 13: Data from Moss Landing Harbor, sketched full-

size in cascading 2D on Imagenex-supplied software.
from a non-autonomous cruise in the Harbor is shown in
Fig. 13.

Off-Site Proof of Concept removes the boat from the

laboratory and explores more advanced environments,
like a slough or lake, as pictured in Fig. 14. The crew
gains experience assembling the entire mission and
troubleshooting with limited assets. New challenges are
expected to arise in new physical environments. Sea-
WASP deployed in Elkhorn Slough and Stevens Creek
in California and Lake Tahoe in Nevada in Summer and
Fall of 2007. Each deployment included at least one
Fig. 14: Off-site deployments in Steven’s Creek (above)
subsystem failure, but due to the ingenuity of the engi- and Lake Tahoe (below).
neering team, science data was collected successfully.
For example, at Stevens Creek a leaking battery discov-
ered mid-deployment shortened the cruise but did not
inhibit data collection up to that point. At Lake Tahoe, a
power surge likely due to back emf from the motors
disabled the propulsion subsystem. However, the boat
was towed by a kayak and data collected. Though
SeaWASP has not yet demonstrated reliable full system
operations in off-site conditions, every subsystem has
been independently verified and the engineering crew
has proved resilient to difficulties. As seen in Fig. 15
and Fig. 16, though data collected was limited, it clearly
demonstrates SeaWASP’s ability to create bathymetric
maps. Local deployments in Summer 2008 were fo-
cused on upgrades to eliminate issues from the off-site Fig. 15: Bathymetric data collected at Steven’s Creek and
cruises. visualized in false-color relief in MB-System; the dark line
is the cruise path.
Science Operations will commence between Spring
and Summer 2009 in the San Juan Islands, Washington,
and NOAA’s Kasitsna Bay, Alaksa. The boat will be
deployed off-site with the goal of collecting quality sci-
ence data for a specific customer. The collection site for
Kasitsna Bay is circled in Fig. 17.

The Summer 2008 upgrades are nearly complete.

Completed upgrades include the addition of two batter-
ies for extended power; higher quality battery box com-
ponents to achieve IP-68; power redistribution; long-
duration, high-durability, outdoor laptops; AHRS inte- Fig. 16: Lake Tahoe data, visualized in cascading 2D in
gration; Imagenex DeltaT-Head data reading and writing Imagenex-supplied software.

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SeaWASP: A Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull Autonomous Platform for Shallow Water Mapping
Fig. 17: Kasitsna Bay (highlighted circle)
across from Homer, Alaska.
package for MB-System; wireless network installation
for real-time data monitoring; and a new trajectory con-
trol electronics and software package. Pending up-
grades include additional structural positive buoyancy;
new AHRS installation; instrument calibration; and in-
stallation of marine-grade wire harness interconnects.
Upgrades will be followed by three off-site tests, again
in Elkhorn Slough, Stevens Creek, and Lake Tahoe be-
tween Fall 2008 and Spring 2009. Science Operations
follow immediately, at the latest in Summer 2009.
Future Work
Having successfully deployed in several test scenar-
ios, SeaWASP is being prepared for contracted science
mission deployments in the San Juan Islands, Washing-
ton, and NOAA’s Kasitsna Bay, Alaska, through 2009
(Fig XX).
Because the SWATH boat bus was designed with a
flexible and upgradable architecture, SeaWASP will
then be extended for future science and engineering use
at MBARI and SCU. At MBARI, SeaWASP fills a shal-
low water niche by covering areas not accessible by the
institute’s AUV’s or ROV’s. The SWATH boat will be
outfitted with new science payloads as needed by
MBARI researchers.
SeaWASP incorporates control electronics and soft-
ware developed by SCU students that are compatible
with several other SCU systems, including UAV’s,
ROV’s, and small satellites. In future work, the students
will integrate several of these systems for cooperative
autonomous controls, beginning with an ensemble of
duplicate SWATH boats. The ensemble will be used as
a test platform for multi-system autonomous operations.
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Sept. 22, 2008
Acknowledgments
SeaWASP is developed in partnership with Santa
Clara University, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research
Institute, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and
NOAA's West Coast and Polar Regions Undersea Re-
search Center.
Students are directly responsible for nearly all aspects
of the project, including design, manufacture, integra-
tion and test, operations, data analysis, and task man-
agement. Since 2004, the program has contributed to
numerous Masters theses, senior design projects,
undergraduate/graduate research opportunities, and in-
ternships at SCU and MBARI.
Special considerations to the The David and Lucile
Packard Foundation and The National Undersea Re-
search Program, University of Alaksa Fairbanks.
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